Honorable Muslims!
Our Almighty Lord (SWT) has placed everything in the skies and on earth, night and day, the sun and moon, and all the stars, at our disposal. He (SWT) has sent down the winds heralding the rain and nourished numerous plants, fields, and gardens out of the lifeless soil to which He (SWT) has given life through the rain.
Dear Believers!
What is demanded of humans is gratitude to the Lord, Who has showered an infinite number of blessings. Indeed, it is stated in our divine book, the Holy Qur’an, as follows: “So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.”[i]
Gratitude, which is the most important sign of our servitude to Allah (SWT), entails perception and reflection about the provider of the blessings before the blessings themselves. It is demanded of us to recognize Allah’s (SWT) favors and bounties for us and demonstrate our contentment with what He (SWT) has provided. It is required of us that we recognize the importance and value of blessings and do not grow deaf or blind to them.
Gratitude is not only about uttering words of thanks and praise. Gratitude is about faith and submission at the heart, contemplation and drawing lessons in the mind, and worship and obedience through the body organs.
Dear Believers!
Our Lord Almighty is al-Shakur, Who abundantly rewards His servants for their good deeds. Then, let us seek Allah the Almighty’s consent and love through our gratitude. Let us add barakah to our lives through gratitude. Let us wholeheartedly pay attention to the Divine commandment, “Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure.”[ii] Let us strive to be thankful servants before the Day of Reckoning arrives. Let us time and time again contemplate the verse, “And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’”[iii] Let us not forget that what suits us is gratitude and that gratitude multiplies blessings. Let us seek refuge in Allah (SWT) against ungratefulness, thanklessness, and discontentment. Let us keep uttering the following du‘a taught to us by our Prophet (saw): “O Allah! Help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner.”[iv]
[i] Baqarah, 2/152.
[ii] Takathur, 102/8.
[iii] Ibrahim, 14/7.
[iv] Abu Dawud, Witr, 26; Nasa‘i, Sahw, 60.
FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMİİ “PRAISE BE TO YOU, O AL-SHAKUR!“.(PDF)